Top 5 - Anime

 Man, it has been a while since I did a Top 5, huh?

OK, so I have been watching a lot of anime lately.  Like any other genre of entertainment, some are good, some are great and some aren't my cup of tea.  Oddly enough, in the realm of anime I find my tastes are greatly different than what I normally would watch.  You'll never catch me watching The Notebook, but find me a well written, sappy romantic anime and I'm hooked.  But as a guy, giant robots and explosions also work very well.

I blame [adult swim] and Toonami for really getting me to watch anime.  I watched Speed Racer and Voltron when I was a kid, but DragonBall Z was really the first series I had to watch.  Lately, Bleach has earned a half-hour of my time on Saturday nights.  And I was really starting to get into Deadman Wonderland on Toonami, when they suddenly stopped showing episodes.  I haven't bothered to see why.  Anyway, Netflix has/had a pretty decent collection of anime and I have attempted to watch most (again, some good, some not so good...in my opinion.)

So without further ado, here is MY Top 5 anime series...again, just my opinion.

5 - Highschool of the Dead

Zombies, makeshift weapons, zombies, tones of blood, zombies, interesting character back stories, zombies, a budding love triangle, zombies, fanservice...

The only thing wrong with this series was the length.  One season only.  The original manga it is based on goes a bit further into the characters quest to find their parent during a zombie apocalypse, but it too was cut short, which might explain there only being one season of the show.  It's worth checking out though, if you don't mind the never resolved cliffhangers.

4 -Gurren Lagann

OK, nothing I have ever seen has ever been more over the top, stupid and loud.  And I loved it.  This is a perfectly written story with everything you could want.  Action, romance, drama, comedy, giant fighting robots, animal people, space fights, end-of-the-universe disasters and so may lines you'll  catch yourself repeating.  Would be higher on my list if it wasn't for that "realm of anime" thing I mentioned before.

3 - Strawberry Panic

First and foremost, you have to suspend your beliefs a bit with this one.  Ignore the fact that this is a romantic story set in three all-girls Catholic schools that share a dormitory and attended by more schoolgirl lesbians than some major cities.  I'm a straight heterosexual male and I was able to ignore that fact.  At it's core, this is a very good story and the characters are interesting.  Eventually you do begin to ignore the fact that this is a sapharric romance tale and begin to just focus on the individual characters and the plot.  Plus, it anime.  Most guys in anime look like girls anyway.

2 - Shuffle!

You're going to see a pattern with these last three, and no it's the lesbian thing.

Shuffle! is one of the first romance/harem series I ever saw and it has stuck with me.  The plot is dumb and pretty boring, but it's based on a Visual Novel/Game where your whole point is to just pick a girl, so I guess I can't bitch too much about the plot.  But I can say that once you get past the sugar sweet, diabetes inducing first half of the series, the second half get much, much darker.  It's worth the wait too. (The first half does have some good comedy)

1 - Clannad, Clannad-After Story

I have to do these two together since they make up the whole story.  Again, romantic storyline, and even tries to act like a harem series, but it's pretty clear from the start who the two main characters are.  Clannad is a typical high school anime with hints of harem and mystic forces thrown in for good measure.  After Story is an emotional rollercoaster...(rollercosters go up and down and twist and do loops and shit)...this is more like one of those rides that lifts you 100 stories in the air than drops you straight down.  If you watch this series and can't even shed one manly tear at some point, you are an emotionless robot, or dead, or not watching the right series.

As always, these are just my Top 5.  Yours may vary, so I'm not responsible for any hurt feelings.

5 Kids Next Door members I want to see.

While watching Cartoon Network, I happened to catch a couple episodes of the show Codename:Kids Next Door. On the show, a group of kids battle "adult tyranny" using make shift weapons and machines. Each member of the KND is referred by a number, or as they call it, "numbuh." The main characters are Numbuhs 1 through 5, with additional characters using various numbers, some representing the kids job with the KND (i.e.: Numbuh $1.50 an hour - the KND lawyer, Numbuh VO5 - a haircut surgeon, Numbuh 20/20 - a marksman, etc...) This got me thinking, there are some numbers I would love to see.

And while this is not technically a Top 5, here are the 5 Numbuh's I'd love to actually see.

Numbuh 69 - I just picture a kid with a fake 70's porno mustache.

Numbuh 187 - 187 is police code for murder .

Numbuh 420 - The international number of pot smokers.

Numbuh 1337 - Geek speak for "elite."

Numbuh 666 - The number of the Beast, or Antichrist.

I wonder why the creators of this show never touched on these members of the KND. Wait, now I remember, this is a kids show.

For a full list of actual KND members used in the show, go here:

http://knd.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Kids_Next_Door_Operatives

Top 5...er...10 Video Game Bad Asses

Okay, I know I said I'd be doing Top 5's but this is a subject where there are so many bad asses. So, I have chosen to bless you with an extra 5. Don't you just feel blessed. Now, there is clearly fan bias towards certain video game characters (as I found out from the nearly hundreds of lists similar to this one), and I know this list will not make everyone happy. But this is my opinion, so I accept the critiques and angry comments. So without further ado, let's begin.

#10 - Link (The Legend of Zelda series)
Link is not usually the first person to come to mind when you think of "Bad Ass." Clearly, the tunic and tights look screams "Broadway" more than "Bar Fight." But you have to hand it to the guy. He has saved Hyrule countless times, fought some of the most memorable creatures and in Twilight Princess turns into a pretty kick ass wolf. After nearly 10 games over 8 different Nintendo systems, Link is, if nothing else, a bad ass for Nintendo's bank account.

#9 - Dante (Devil My Cry series)

Dante is the son of the demon Sparta and a human woman. So right off the bat, he has a pretty bad ass bloodline. Add in his agility, insane swordsmanship, master marksmanship and priceless quips and one lines and he has all the makings of a legendary bad ass. Sadly, I do have to deduct points for the emo hair style and cliche trench coat. Sorry.

#8 - Subject Delta (Bioshock 2)

He's a freaking 1st Generation Big Daddy. How much more bad ass do you need to get? As if having a Drill for an arm wasn't enough, his arsenal includes a rivet gun, shotgun, gating gun and a harpoon launcher. Nothing is better than making art by harpooning a splicer to a wall. Being made of a diving suit makes being underwater a cake walk. I just wish there were more to actually do underwater, besides walk from point A to point B.

#7 - Dr. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life series)

There is, for some reason, a multitude of individuals who like to compare Freeman to Halo's Master Chief. For the life of me, I don't know why. Gordon is way cooler and a much bigger Bad Ass. Last time I checked, I didn't see Chief cracking skulls with a crowbar. Plus, he is a theoretical physicist who knows how to handle a gun. Which makes him a bad ass nerd.

#6 - Marcus Fenix (Gears of War series)

Marcus is the gritty, muscular, shoot-first-ask-questions-later leader of an equally gritty group of soldiers in a war against underground aliens known as the Locust. Hell, with in the first few minutes of the 1st game, Marcus goes from being in prison to leading Delta squad, a rag-tag group so different you half expect to see Carl Weathers and Jessie Ventura among them. In fact, that is what makes Marcus Fenix so bad ass. He's an ex-con who is not only forced to fight, but to lead, and he manages to kick some serious locust ass as he does it.

#5 - Solid Snake (Metal Gear series)

I'm going to get hell for putting Snake this low on the list, but he does make the Top 5. Yet as I sit here typing, I'm wondering if I even need to express why this character is even on this list. Nearly every other "Top (whatever) video game bad asses" lists I have read has Solid Snake not only on it, but clearly in the top three. So why is he so low on my list? Because as bad ass as Snake is, to me, there are four guys who top him.

#4 - Frank West (Dead Rising)

Not only is Frank West bad ass, he might be a bit too obsessed with his work. Taking a helicopter past a military blockade, jumping out of said helicopter onto the roof of a shopping mall, then spending the next 72 hours fighting off hoards of zombies just to get a story. And how much more bad ass do you have to be to walk up to a zombie, put a giant Lego-style mask on it, take it's picture, then beat it with a guitar? Lets see Chris Redfield do that. On top of all that, he's covered wars, you know.

#3 - The Apprentice, Starkiller, Galen Marek (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)

Just a few of Starkillers highlights:

- Used the force to pull Darth Vaders lightsaber from his hands and use it against Vader, and Galen was still a kid.

-He is trained in secret by Vader then is sent out to hunt and kill Jedi, such as Shaak Ti, a former member of the Jedi Council.
-He destroys an Tie Fighter manufacturing plant.

-He uses the force to pull a Star Destroyer from the sky. Yes, a Star Destroyer.

-He nearly kills Vader in the final battle (good ending), destroying most of Vader's mechanical body.

-And his family crest becomes the symbol of the rebels.

#2 - Kratos (God of War series)

Okay, what else do I need to say about Kratos other than he has killed gods and destroyed Mount Olympus. Pretty much the pinnacle of Bad Ass. And this would have been enough to garner #1, but Kratos does get help from other gods and magic weapons.

#1 - Simon Belmont (Castlevania I & II)

Simon Belmont has faced bats, zombies, flying gorgon heads, werewolves, skeletons, floating eyeballs, ghosts, dragon skeletons, hunchbacks, suits of armor, mudmen, gargoyles, giant bats, mummies, Medusa, Frankenstein, Death and Dracula all while using just a whip.

Top 5 Evil Video Game Companies

I figure I would start my Top 5's with one I have thought about for a long time. Over the history of video games, the idea of the "evil company" has been a popular plot device. Whether the company was out for global domination or involved with a massive cover up or some other "evil," these companies are a central component to the story. But who are the worst of the worst? Well here are my Top 5:

#5 - Ryan Industries (BioShock Series)

While I wouldn't really call Ryan Industries the only evil company in Rapture, it is the catalyst for the creation and eventual ruin of the underwater city. Andrew Ryan's dream of a Utopian society was made possible by his company, however his rivalry with Frank Fontaine led to the creation of the Little Sisters and Big Daddys as well as the Tonics and Plasmids that eventually drove the citizens of Rapture insane. Ryan himself believed in a society where individuals were free to do as they pleased, as long as they obeyed his rules. He acted as a dictator over utopia, which led to revolution and eventual ruin.

#4 - Abstergo Industries (Assassin's Creed Series)

Lets face it, Abstergo Industries is just evil. Kidnapping, human experimentation, murder, and I'm pretty sure the CEOs eat puppies. Not to mention the fact that it is just a front for the Knights Templar and their quest to obtain the Pieces of Eden and control the world. But you do have to wonder how well they do background checks on their employees. I mean, they track down Desmond Miles and kidnap him because they know he was born and raised by assassins, yet they hired Lucy Stillman, who is also an assassin? Their Human Resources department needs to be seriously fired.

#3 - Shin-ra Electrical Power Company (Final Fantasy VII)

Shin-Ra, Shin-Ra, Shin-Ra. Where do I begin? Genetic experimentation, kidnapping, cruelty to animals, and ecological disasters are just a few of their evil deeds. I'll admit I was all for Sephiroth offing the president of the company, that is until I realized he was a mama's boy. And even after realizing that Cloud & Co. were out to stop Sephiroth from destroying the world, did Shin-ra offer to help? I mean, Sephiroth was their creation after all. Instead, the good people at Shin-ra attempted to hamper our heroes every step of the way. I guess saving the world wasn't good for their overhead.


#2 - Umbrella Corporation (Resident Evil Series)

What list of "evil" video game companies would be complete with out Umbrella? Did someone say "None?" I'm pretty sure unleashing a deadly virus that turns humans into zombies, then trying to cover it up by destroying the entire city filled with said zombies, as well as survivors, and your own employees is most likely one of the most evil acts in video game history. Being from the New Orleans area, I wonder if the folks at BP don't wish they could do the same thing to the Gulf Coast.

#1 - Aperture Science (Portal)

Okay, you can destroy a Utopian society, attempt to use ancient relics to control the world, genetically engineer a super soldier who nearly destroys the world or even unleash a zombie apocalypse and I'm okay with it. But if you promise me cake and I find out that the cake is a LIE, well then, you are truly the most evil of evils.